Oberstar to try to bring regulation back.

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We are already the most regulated "de-regulated" industry on the face of the planet. I say bring it on, full & total regulation. Bring back 1978 wages adjusted for inflation of course, free medical, free non-rev'ing, 70% load factors (turning a profit on those loadfactors & makes non-rev'ing GREAT) AND give us our f'n pensions BACK!!! I don't give 2 craps if little missy can't go fly to see aunt betty anymore on spring break because it cost's too much, it shouldn't cost $250 to fly coast to coast r/t, should be $2500. Since deregulation we have seen a total and complete degrading our of careers, QOL & retirement. All the while management gets filthy rich and passengers fly for pennies on the dollar all made available by taking the money out of OUR wallets.

I am making less now as a 767FO than I was 13 years ago as a truck driver, and now I pay $700/mo for healthcare and have NO retirement.

Screw Management, Screw the passengers and PLEASE Re-Regulated us now!

You left out one fact.................hardly anyone flew during regulated days compared to now.

 

[fam62c]

Deregulation would have worked just fine if the bankruptcy laws were tighter, creditors were less generous and poorly run, bloated, overly extended bankrupt airlines were allowed to fail causing industry capacity to "auto correct." Instead we ended up with "zombie" airlines that filed for bankruptcy, reorganized, and have yet to make a penny years later. It's the same "too big to fail" problem that exists in the banking and auto industries.

The problem today (as well as yesterday and probably tomorrow in this crazy industry) is overcapacity which causes too many seats to be sold below cost. The result is very few profitable carriers. Basic economic laws should result in "corporate Darwinism" as the weakest businesses fail and the stronger ones survive but this doesn't seem to happen in the airline industry. The weakest carriers refuse to die off and the whole industry does poorly because there is lots of capacity that is sold at a loss thus artificially lowering air fares. Much of the industry is battling for market share and short-term cashflow at the expense of profitability.

Deregulation was rushed in 1978 and executed poorly but regulation is not going to return, that ship has sailed. The industry needs to find the balancing point between supply and demand that allows for reasonable profit margins at the most efficient carriers, for this to happen the sick and the weak must be eliminated by their competitors or merged into more efficient companies. I hate to see anybody lose their job (it happened to me in this industry and it's a bummer) but the industry would be healthier today as a whole if one of the large, bankrupt airlines had liquidated. Going forward, if the economy keeps recovering, fuel prices don't explode and capacity reductions continue the industry should see some good years before the next, inevitable downturn.

 

[andyd]

You left out one fact.................hardly anyone flew during regulated days compared to now.

Bingo! That was my point and NOT left out....vis a vis 70% load factors and profitable. I could care less if we had 10% load factors as long as we were turning a profit. Those aren't Cobra payments in my previous post. I'm at DAL and that's the cost of full coverage for me and my family, dental, vision, a small amount of add on life insurance and enough to go into a HSA to cover the 3000 per person deductible.

 

[JoeMerchant]

I'm at DAL and that's the cost of full coverage for me and my family, dental, vision, a small amount of add on life insurance and enough to go into a HSA to cover the 3000 per person deductible.

Sounds like DAL has a worse plan than ASA.....Is it any wonder I don't want to be on the bottom of the DAL list paying more for health care and making less...I'll pass....

 

[Dizel8]

Oberstar doesn't actually want to regulate the airlines like in the "old" days, he wants to regulate the airlines so they don't actually make a profit flying, in his mind, if they make a profit, they are gouging the passengers.

The gent in question is an idiot, but because of his position, he is a dangerous idiot, much like the vast majority of our elected representatives!

 

[JetMonkey]

Not only that, but the class in air travel might come back. No more torn shorts and flip-flops with a smelly t-shirt if someone has to pay $2500.

 

[ron burgundy]

useless!